Work Group Meetings

Thurs.8:00 - 9:30 a.m.          October 19th   

Grace Gouveia Bldg, 26 Alden St

 

Notes for Second Meeting

Utilizing Existing Structures/ Properties

 

Present at 1st Meeting: Michelle Couture, Meg Stewart, Cathy Reno, Pam Parmakian, Ted Malone, Betty Villari, Doug Taylor, Maureen Wilson, Patrick Patrick, Ben Thornberry, Lisa Gledhill and Jane Evans

 

Utilizing the format of the 1st Meeting, the following represent my suggestions for further discussion on the 19th.

 

Suggested Agenda

 

  1. Establish a technical and financial assistance program to individual property owners to utilize incentives and simplify process needed to convert dwellings to community workforce housing and to encourage use of the accessory housing and amnesty bylaws

 

v     Review the sub-group’s efforts to identify the changes needed to the administration of the amnesty and property tax programs in order to get much greater utilization of these incentives.

 

v     Discuss the job description of the assistance provider including Historic Preservation TA and the consultant will forward that to the Implementation Work Group for their consideration

 

v     Discuss what kind of outreach would be most effective to reach individual property owners

 

v     Check to see if this is clearly an initiative that the group wants to recommend

 

  1. Require a community housing component as part of all change of use special permits that result in additional condominium units

 

v     Discuss draft language of change of use by law change

 

v     Discuss percentage of community housing requirement needed (levels of affordability)

 

v     Check to see if this is clearly an initiative that the group wants to recommend

 

 

v     Identify process for moving this proposal before Town Meeting (Fall or Spring) and outreach needed to increase likelihood of passage.

 

[Note from consultant: I have some concerns that the efforts to pass a change of use bylaw at the November Town Meeting may be premature because it may not give enough time for a full discussion of the issue before it forces people into unyielding positions. We have worked hard to bring everyone into the process of this Action Plan; my concern is that an effort to act on something as big as this will divide the community before the Action Planning process is complete and has a chance to bring the community together. I ask that you consider and discuss this at your October meeting.]

 

  1. Identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential public and private existing structures that could be converted to community housing

 

v     Discuss suggestion of including Freemont Street library

 

v     Suggest who should be involved in this property evaluation

 

v     List other potential public and private properties that would be key acquisitions for re-use as community housing

 

v     Check to see if this is clearly an initiative that the group wants to recommend

 

 

  1. Develop a program that encourages property owners to rent year-round rather than seasonally

 

v     Review Martha’s Vineyard Program: discuss changes needed to apply to Provincetown

 

v     Discuss sources of revenue, management, affordability

 

v     Check to see if this is clearly an initiative that the group wants to recommend  (Note: Finance Work Group is also considered this recommendation)

 

  1. Promote development of underutilized above-commercial space along Commercial Street

 

v     According to a recent memo (9/11/06) from the Town Manager to the BoS, “the proposed sewer extension for the Shank Painter Basin includes a provision to re-direct up to 27,000 GPD of Title 5 design flow from the Phase 1 collection system to the new Phase 2 sewer extension. This re-directed flow will free up capacity on Commercial Street to the west of the Central Vacuum System (CVS) facility.” Just as the BoS decided to set aside some capacity for Economic Development Permits, some Community Housing capacity could be allocated to properties along Commercial Street west of the CVS in the short to medium term. Phase 3 expansions of the sewer system could further re-direct waste from the vacuum line at both ends of Commercial Street, expanding the capacity to utilize second story spaces.  The Assessor is currently trying to determine how many underutilized Commercial Street properties exist. It may require a survey of the property owners to determine how much interest there is in this idea from landlords.

 

[Note from consultant: it has just recently become clear that one of the pre-conditions to getting DEP approval of any re-direction of Commercial Street waste in Phase 2 is the requirement that the remaining “red-dot” properties tie-in to the existing system. My suggestion is that we hold discussion on this initiative until our third meeting.]

 

  1. Create a fund that buys down the cost of existing properties so that they are affordable to year-round residents at various income levels in return for affordability covenants on the properties purchased.

 

v     Review option if time allows

 

v     Discuss optimal levels of affordability and nature of restrictions

 

v     Check to see if this is clearly an initiative that the group wants to recommend